The Road not Ending
by Still Dreaming 9195
Summary: OCs; Five girls make a journey into Middle Earth and learn about not only Middle Earth, but about themselves. Not Mary Sue (As in no, not all five of them will fall madly in love with one of the single, available male specimens and also be loved back. But maybe some do.) Characters: The fellowship, Arwen, and various elves and humans
1. Prologue

**A/N: Lord of the Rings story, taking place along the journey. OCs, hopefully not Mary Sues, parings TBA**

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Prologue

_"I understand," the man said, looking into the slender girl's eyes. "But if it were ever to change, could it ever be me?"_

_She smiled, sadly. "No. But not because of who you are, or who we are. It's because of who I am, and that things will never change. At least for me," she said clearly._

_._

_"Sometimes I feel nostalgic for something I feel like I've never known," a small voice confided in a taller figure as they sat in the tall grass. "Like any moment, I'll return to another world, and everything will fit in again."_

_"If it weren't you, and this wasn't me, I would say you're insane," the other voice said in a lilting accent. "But I feel that way every single time I wake up and see I'm still here."_

_ .  
_

_"I miss them." Light struck on the speaker's thin hair, making it glow like the golden fields the pair walked on, hand in hand._

_"I think they miss you too. But we just have to wait," murmured the man into her ear._

_._

_"I'm meant for more than this," she muttered to herself as a way to force herself to continue. "I can't stop now. Not ever."_

_The friend at her side laughed. "I'm sure you are. Seriously, though," he said, dodging a blow. "You all were."_

_"We still are."_

_._

But this is the end, and all stories must start at some beginning; even the stories that have no end at least have a beginning. Dear reader, can you chose to believe? Because this is all we can leave behind for you.

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**A/N: Thoughts? Its barely started.**


	2. Road Trip

**A/N: The LoTR characters will enter soon (I promise); I just wanted to organize the characters.**

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Road Trip

"Road trip! Yes!" A short, slightly tanned child stood on top of the seat of the car, sticking her head out of the open sunroof. She stood on the tips of her bare feet, shoes discarded on the ground, leaning between the middle row and the front seats.

"For the love of-" The driver shouted, startled. "Kit! Sit down! " The girl merely laughed, watching as the novice driver's knuckles turned white from clutching the steering wheel.

"Kit, act your age," an amused voice said from the passenger seat. "And Leya, this is the seventh time in ten minutes. Kit is 23. She is not that excited about a short break, nor is she going to throw herself out. You know she's just teasing your driving skills." Ever the peacemaker, and generally the leader, the brunette didn't even blink as she continued to trace their path on the map.

"Well, I act as I look. And I look ten," Kit said jokingly as she tried to fix her dark, windblown hair using the car mirror.

"Alonna, it was eight times," a teasing tone called out to the front from where she sat next to the reprimanded Kit. "And Katherine, you look 23. It's like you just were shrunken mostly proportionally down to about four feet. What?" she asked. "It's not an insult. It works for you."

"Why do you call me Katherine? Not Kit?"

"I call you Kit sometimes. I prefer not to use nicknames; you know that," the girl sighed. "Katherine is a pretty name, and I like my formalities. Well, some of my formalities."

"Aren't redheads supposed to have fiery tempers and rowdy temperament? And we call you Aurel or Lia all the time instead of Aurelia," A sleepy voice questioned from the back of the car.

"Good, someone's finally awake!" Leya pulled over onto the side of the small dirt road. "Alonna drove for three hours, I drove for two, and Aurel drove for three, and all of us, even Kit, have been on either map or driving duty. Your turn, Lora." Leya pulled the strands of wispy blond hair that were falling out of her sloppy bun and tucked them back under her hairtye as she opened the driver's door.

"No, already? I just woke up!" Lora slowly crawled to the front of the car and plopped herself down.

"Look at that awesome hair of yours," Alonna teased. "Maybe next time you'll sit upright in the middle with Kit and Aurel instead of sleeping in the crowded backseats of doom."

"My face hurts." Lora brushed away the hazel coloured bird nest hair blocking her face. "No! I fell asleep on the icebox again!"

"Nice tattoo. Karma, I say," Leya laughed as she slid Kit into the middle seat and slammed the car door shut.

The rest of the car trip was filled with laughter and life as they shed whatever burdens they had, driving down the dusty road to their destination: a small farmhouse.

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**A/N: Thoughts?**


	3. Arrival

**A/N: Yay, reviews! Love and many thanks. Sorry if there are errors; I'm typing with a sulking dog on my lap. Please tell me if I do!**

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Arrival

Aurelia stretched out her arms, her pale skin glowing in the last of the day's sunlight. The sun was beginning to set, turning a beautiful red before leaving. "It's already five; we drove for almost ten hours," she said while touching her toes, voice muffled slightly due to the thick curtain of auburn hair in front of her mouth. "Next time, let's bike. Go cross country. Or get a horse or some other mode of transportation besides a tin can of death on wheels."

"My driving wasn't that bad, considering I just got my license two weeks ago," Leya huffed jokingly. They had waited to take their summer trip until everyone could drive, except Kit.

"Even Kit could do better, and she can't touch the pedals," Lora said with a smile. Kit's height had stopped being a sensitive subject before she had even met half of the girls. Aurelia, Kit, and Alonna had been best friends since they were five, and Leya caught on quickly, along with Lora.

Kit had been diagnosed around age six with Russell-Silver Syndrome, slightly later than other children. The symptoms had never been severe, but her height was never on par with her peers; not even Lora, the second shortest, had a conversation looking at Kit straight in the eyes while standing. Aurelia was the tallest, and after was Alonna, so as children, Kit had seemed even smaller. However, as the symptoms got better with age, and since they were rather moderate to begin with, Kit's biggest problems were her calorie intake, blood pressure, and comments about her appearance.

Kit looked like a teenager most of the time; the stages where one's appearances started to finally establish themselves. She had large eyes that dominated her heart shaped, almost triangle shaped face; ethereal shade of blue caught everyone's attention first. Then they noticed her small teeth, slightly large forehead that she covered with her curly, dark hair, or her small, pointed chin.

In comparison to her close friend, Aurelia was tall, slender, with long, lithe limbs. They often joked that Aurelia should give some of her inches to Kit, or at least until Kit was tall enough to legally drive. Aurelia's wavy red hair hung loose, brushing the top of her waist. Similar to her, Alonna was also fairly tall, but seemed lean, fit, and wiry were better descriptions for her. Both were runners, but while Alonna was slightly tan with straight brown hair she kept cut to about shoulder length, Aurelia was pale, as pale as Leya.

Leya was not the oldest or the youngest, the tallest or the shortest, the most athletic or most artistic, but she was also easy to notice. With her thin, pale blond hair and a matching wispy figure, she seemed fragile. But when looking at her eyes, it was clear she was playful and able to take care of herself. Her cousin Lora was almost the same, but fuller and rounder with hazel hair, instead of the angles Leya seemed to be composed of.

The girls were now roommates in a small townhouse on the edges of town, close enough to reach their colleges or jobs. It was the last year of college, and they decided that before they inevitably went onto their own futures, they should spend one glorious last year together, including a road trip during their two weeks off.

The farm was small and lacked any farm animals; ducks would wander around in the small pond, and the owners, Lora's grandparents, kept a few horses in the neighboring farm's stalls, but the farm was now just a place to relax. Up in the golden hills, the air was fresh and peaceful, making it worth the awful amount of driving. Behind the farm were wooded lands that extended far over the hills, occasionally stopping in valleys to show a pleasant field to picnic in.

"Oh, the benefits of having a cousin with rich relatives," Leya said as she started to pull the luggage from the back of the car. "I knew I kept you for a reason!"

"Yes, remember to thank your grandparents. Both of you, to the same grandparents, I guess. This place is amazing!" Alonna gave the hills a quick scan before continuing to drag the bags into the small white house.

"Can we sleep in the barn? It's not used anymore, right? And we have sleeping bags," Kit added hopefully.

"If you like old, moldy hay that smells like horse poop, be my guest," Leya said.

"I miss the horses. They were nice," added Lora. "But we moved them mostly because they couldn't live in the barn anymore; I kind of doubt we would like it."

"No. Kit gets sick easily, and she always passes it onto Aurel. Who then gets me sick," said Alonna.

"Yes, but then you get Lora or Leya sick, and they get me sick again," interjected Aurelia as she came back from dropping off the icebox on the front porch. "Katherine, did you bring your pillow?"

"No, I left it at home again. We have some, right?" Kit asked hopefully.

"Nope, nothing but blankets. And we should wash those before dinner so we can go to sleep on dry blankets and soft beds," added Leya.

"I brought your pillow. Anyone else getting a sense of deja vu?" Alonna said. "Come on, let's go in so we can set up before eating. No food until we're ready!" Alonna slammed the trunk door as she and the other girls began to walk into the house.

"Dibs on a room! I refuse to sleep on a pullout couch with any of you ever again!" Aurelia sprinted for the door, Leya right behind her. Kit laughed, hearing a crash against the screen door and knowing that Leya had just been tackled by Lora into the door Aurelia slammed back.

...

Unknown to them, their arrival would be short; but their trip would be longer than planned. As the sun set, laughter rose, friendly whispers began to fly between roommates, and the stars shined like diamonds onto the glorious hills and forests, another world drew nearer.

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**A/N: Thoughts? The plot starts to move next chapter, I promise. I just want shorter chapters so I can upload faster**


	4. The Road Not Taken

**A/N: My goal is to post at least a chapter every two days or so; thanks for the follows/favorites/reviews! They really help me keep writing. And the other fanfic I have is dead. Sorry. And my lack of creativity just shines in this one, with the really bad ending/ cliffy**

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The Road Not Taken

Alonna started into the bathroom that the two rooms shared. The sun was rising; it was about half past five. Knowing that the two girls in the next room, Lora and Leya, would die if they woke up now (but not before murdering her), and that Kit, who was sleeping on the pullout bed with the cousins, would be irritable until lunchtime, she slipped out as quietly as possible, slowly pulling open the bottom drawer where she had placed her clothes in the night before.

Alonna sighed, hearing a muffled noise behind her. Aurelia was the lightest sleeper amongst them all, and she had failed to be quiet enough to let her sleep. As the oldest in the group and an independent child, she instinctively cared for the other girls, and had wanted to let Aurelia sleep longer; not only was she a light sleeper, waking up at small noises, temperature changes, or light, but she was also a picky one. She had to sleep in a certain position, with only certain clothes, not after eating, next to a wall, blankets covering her feet, and so forth. Otherwise, she would have to be exhausted to even manage to fall asleep. On Kit's suggestion, she had started t

The said girl stretched her arms. "Are you going on a run?" Aurelia sleepily brushed her hair away from her face, bleary eyed. She slid off the low bed and started to stretch on the wooden floorboards, clearing her eyes and waking herself up as Alonna nodded and closed the bathroom door quietly.

When she was ready, Aurelia was already outside and also ready to go. The two were like sisters, and they would often run together. The air was crisp and clean, and the path through the woods was solid: not to muddy, not to dusty. By the time they got back and showered, the other girls were slowly waking up.

"Let's go down to the field today," Aurelia suggested. She and Alonna were the only two who were truly awake. Kit was only functioning because of the giant stack of pancakes in front of her, drowning them in syrup; Leya was staring unblinkingly at the melting butter with a thin blanket wrapped around her, while Lora was still hugging her pillow in one hand. "The one with the really long grass, next to the river? We can have a picnic, and plus Leya can practice for her tournament."

Alonna nodded. "I can practice with you, Kit can work on her portfolio, Lora can finish her paper, and Aurelia can also practice." Leya and Aurelia had met through history in freshman year; Aurelia was studying languages and history, while Leya was also studying history. For fun, they had gone to a medieval convention, where Leya started medieval sword fighting based off her knowledge of fencing and kendo. She and Aurelia would cross reference each other to check the historical accuracy of their work and had become close friends. The other girls had encouraged Leya to join the fencing team at college; Aurelia had joined archery club on top of cross country.

Slowly, the girls finished and migrated out the door. "Are we walking?" Kit asked, slightly awake.

"Yep. It's literally over the river, through the woods, over a hill or two, then the field is right past the gate," Aurelia said. "We saw it from the top of one of the hills."

"How far is it?" Lora asked warily.

"Only a few miles," said Aurelia with a smile. Lora groaned and threw something at her. "Hey!" A surprised Aurelia brushed the red hair out of her face. "Wait, you brought your pillow out here?"

"Obviously. Hey, let's camp out there!" Kit said. "We can bring a net tent and sleep out under the stars tonight! It shouldn't rain."

"Yeah! And plus, we wouldn't make it back in time for dinner, so we can just wheel the icebox with food," added Leya. "Don't say anything." Leya cut off Aurelia, who had started to open her mouth. "Last time you said a few miles, it was two hours there, and three back."

"Actually, that's not a bad idea. The land belongs to all the people who live on the hills, right? They share it, like a park. They wouldn't mind. And knowing your awesome directional skills," Alonna said, facing Aurelia, "we would get lost. Again. Like every other time. And Kit and Lora aren't the best runners, so it would take a while." Alonna quickly returned with a small collapsible tent and the wheelie icebox.

They arrived around lunch time, and spent a leisurely afternoon play-sparring; Leya had a mock duel with everyone, Alonna had given up and ambushed Leya with Lora, and Aurelia narrowly missed being shot by an arrow that Kit had tried to shoot. It was the solstice, and they had a full day of golden sun. At night, they started a small fire on top of an old fire site, drying off their feet after playing in the river.

Suddenly, their relaxed conversation stopped, interrupted by a low snarl and the sound of something moving through the woods behind them, breaking branches. Aurelia stood, instinctively grabbing her archery set in case they had to run, along with Leya, who was wearing her bag of swords across her back. Kit froze, holding a smore halfway to her mouth. "What the he-" Lora's nervous whisper was cut off by a hand movement from Alonna, who stood like a barrier between them and the woods.

The snarl grew, and voices could be heard. Out of the corner of her eye, Alonna saw Lora starting to move, rising cautiously, and Kit finishing her smore as Leya picked up a wooden shinai from where it lay at her feet.

And then all hell broke loose. Five monstrous goblin-like creatures, armed and smelling of carrion, burst out of the forested area, armed with old weapons. An arrow flew and hit one between the eyes, but it stumbled forward. Alonna turned and delivered a sharp kick to the hand of one and heard a loud snap as it released its weapon. The crickets stopped, but were replaced by the harsh sounds the creatures made, growling at each other and at the girls as a scream pierced the air. Aurelia shot another as Lora met an axe with her shinai, which shattered at the top.

And then everything was black, at least in the eyes of Kit, her last image that of Alonna desperately reaching for the sword that the hideous creature had dropped before, scrambling back, as the girls tried to retreat, and the once friendly moon watched helplessly, fading slowly, as if it were dissolving, and turning a blood red.

An eclipse.

And then it was silent, as well as dark. And then it was all gone.

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**A/N: Thoughts?**

**Hint (tiny tiny tiny spoiler) those are orcs. But they don't know that yet.**


	5. Of Road Blocks and Rest Stops

**A/N: Hopefully the story finally starts moving; I honestly hate writing the beginning. Please critique. I gave up on spell check because all the Tolkien terms gave me the red squiggly line of shame anyways.**

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Of Road Blocks and Rest Stops

.

"Where am I?" Lora mumbled, looking up. A strange emptiness filled her as she turned to look for any other signs of life. Her quick scan was successful, as she saw a dozen women and a few men staring right back at her. Unfortunately, half of them were armed. And most of them were pointing sharp objects at her, and as she begin to push herself up, the bows and knives followed her up. "_Didn't they learn that pointing sharp things at people is mean and dangerous?"_ she wondered silently. A groan escaped her mouth; she must have a concussion or have suddenly become an idiot overnight. Or whatever time she had been unconscious.

A dark haired woman stepped out, gesturing for the people to put their weapons down. Suddenly, Lora realized he wasn't a woman; in fact, the majority of the people were men, simply with long hair. He asked a sharp question.

"I'm sorry, can you say it slower? I think I have a concussion. Where am I?" Lora said slowly, now sitting upright. She looked down and noticed for the first time she was sitting on a wooden table. Apparently, the people had been eating when she interrupted their lovely meal, which she was currently sitting on. The man repeated the question again, his voice slightly less tense. Lora began to be able to pick words out.

"Why _naa_ you _sinome? _Who _naa lle? Sut _did _lle_ enter_?_" The man repeated once more, slowly. Although some of the words were obviously in English, even those words sounded strange, almost as if two people were talking at once.

"Are you speaking a dialect of English?" A new speaker asked, walking in. Lora squealed and bear hugged the familiar redhead, who awkwardly gave her a quick hug in return and then escaped, much to the amusement of the two guards who lead her in.

"Yes! You're alive!" Lora laughed. "I knew some stupid monster troll things couldn't kill you! You probably would have drove them insane or something!" A blond man with hair to his chin coughed suddenly, sounding suspiciously like he was hiding a laugh, while another one of the long haired men started to reach toward his weapon, looking at her as if she were insane.

"Lora, not now," Aurelia reprimanded. Cutting off the retort that Lora started to form in response to the curt phrase, she turned to the speaker and gave a quick, awkward half-bow that was between a formal bow and curtsy. He acknowledged it with an impatient slight nod.

"Hello, Lord Elrond" she started nervously. "We," she gestured at Lora and herself, "were camping out in the fields when we were attacked. It wasn't just us though; there were two other girls. Did you see them when you rescued us? "

"No, you two were the only ones. Your friend just landed on our table," the man said.

"Wait. From the very beginning. Now." Lora glared at both the lord and her friend. It was hard enough trying to catch up to Aurelia's train of thought when it was a one on one conversation, with both of them not in shock or with a concussion, and knowing some of the background information. "So I just landed, in the middle of your lunch-"

"Dinner," Aurelia mumbled quietly. Lora shot an exasperated glare at her very dear but aggravating friend.

"-Dinner, fine. You said two people, there were five of us, so not counting us, there should be another person that was in the field. Why can you fully understand what he's saying, when everything sounds like two people talking, and why are you wearing a dress? You only wore a dress once in the time I've known you. Where are we? Who's 'Lord Elrond'? Why does everybody have pointy ears or long hair or whatever? And more importantly, where are my swords? And my friends?" Lora fumed.

Aurelia sighed, her exasperation matching Elrond's. "You are in Rivendell, child. We found your friend, Aurelia, and the other girl in the woods. They were brought here by guests who were travelling here," he said. "The clothes you are wearing," he said, looking at Lora, who was wearing a loose white t-shirt and jeans, "Are more suited to men, who do not have pointy ears like us elves, and are still strange anyways. We supplied your friends with proper clothes. I don't know all the answers, as Aurelia awoke this morning. After being acquainted with the general system, she informed us of where she had been, what had happened, and how the orcs had attacked, but we still don't know the details. Especially since the healer who informed me of the story was in a state of confusion," he finished. Another elf quickly entered and bowed, saying something Elrond.

"My apologies, Boromir, but it seems that instead of dining with you and the other humans I called for council, I will be spending some time trying to understand what is going on. Your friend has awakened, and demands to see you both." The lord of Rivendell rose, gesturing for the girls to follow. Aurelia turned to leave, but Lora caught her hand.

"Wait, I still have questions-" Aurelia spun back and smiled charmingly, but Lora knew the look in her eyes. No more questions or she would either lose her temper or her composure; neither was something Lora particularly desired to see.

* * *

"-And after Aurelia shot another arrow, one of the orcs fell. Then Kit collapsed, I think, and I remember blacking out after being cut in the leg, or my shoulder" Alonna finished. She was still lying in bed, after the healers had forced her back after finding her trying to find the others. After the third attempt, one of the healers had kept guard outside the room while asking another elf to inform Elrond and the other unexpected visitors to convene in Alonna's room in order to prevent another attempt.

"Right after you fell, I went forward towards you. I think I picked something up," Aurelia said, pantomiming her actions in order to jog her memory. "Yes. It was a stick or a club; then I heard a really loud crack. I turned," she said, swiveling to face backwards, "and saw Lora's practice sword breaking. The orc's sword kept going, but it was twisted so the flat edge hit her. He flinched back, because of the wood splinters. "

"And then I fell onto soft grass, which was good, I guess, because I could have landed on an orc corpse or weapon, because I think I had just killed one in front of me." She stopped her movements suddenly. "Oh God, I killed something," she said, turning pale. "Do you think it hurt? I didn't see its body. Wait, I didn't see the body even when I was falling. The grass was greener, and not as tall as the other spots. Maybe I moved further than I thought while turning, and was closer to the forest than the field? That would explain why I fell and blacked out, too. Shoot, I didn't want to kill it, I just wanted to get away. I was using my actual arrows! I should have brought more rubber tipped anyways, because Katherine- Kit, fine- was there and everything, and-"

"Honestly: the monsters tried to kill us, for no reason at all, and you feel bad?" Lora practically shouted. "Sorry Alonna, I know we were supposed to take turns talking, but since you said everything without either of us interrupting, and Aurelia seems to be done, I'll go anyways," she said, a little calmer.

"The sword hit me, and I saw Leya- that's my cousin," she explained to Elrond, "running backwards. No, crawling. Or backing away, kind of. There was another orc thing after her. Then I got up and ran to open space, and when I turned, there were two orcs after me and one after Leya, but I think I killed one, or at least injured it, when I threw a dagger or something sharp that the dead one had dropped at one of the two orcs. And when I blinked, I opened my eyes and I was here. But it wasn't really blinking; it felt like my eyes were closed for longer. Like a short nap."

Elrond nodded. After explaining the basics, with the help of Aurelia, who had gotten a quick lesson already from the other elf, he had asked for their entire story. Elrond, Erestor, and two other advisors had listened to their story, which had required many stops for explanations for seemingly mundane things such as cars, clothing, plumbing, and technology.

Eventually, Alonna had decided it would be more efficient for her to tell the story, with Aurelia allowed to give definitions to the elves only when Alonna asked for one and Lora only to talk when Aurelia needed help or Alonna forgot a detail, which is to say practically never. However, it still ended taking about two hours, not counting the small break they had for food.

"We must hope that your friend Leya managed to kill the other orcs, or your people, who seem to live in peace and ignorance, will be in danger if they have truly never heard of an orc," one of the elves said.

"Leya wouldn't have," Aurelia said softly. "She couldn't have. She's an amazing person, but she's always been a little scared. She might have run for help, though, but I can't see her fighting back to kill. She would fight to run."

"I love my cousin, but Aurel is right. Leya's too soft to kill, and she's awful at sports in general, so self defense is out," Lora agreed. "But we don't have to worry about that as much; if she managed to get back to the farmhouse, she could have gotten help. And even if our people live in peace, at least relatively in peace, we aren't powerless. It's actually unusual that we know how to use swords or shoot arrows. Even Alonna's self defense stuff is regarded as extra. The only reason we do is because Aurel and I are history majors; we study medieval fighting techniques."

"In our world, in our time, we use the things called guns we told you about," said Alonna. "Not everyone has one, but people who live up in the rural areas, like where we were, are more likely to have one than not. If Leya made it back, she should be relatively safe, and the orcs should be dead. If she called for help, then people will be looking for us, but obviously they won't think of a different world right away, if at all. Magic is something that doesn't exist."

"We will discuss this later, tomorrow. We will retire for tonight, and talk more when it is not so late," Elrond said with a tone of finality. "You may have to explain it once more when the Council convenes, but we will explain more when there is time." He rose, his advisors following out the door as another elf entered.

"I have been told to show the two ladies their rooms. When Lady Alonna is well, she will also be moved to a guest room," she explained. "I am in charge of accommodations for all three of you, so please ask me if there are problems." Motioning for Aurelia and Lora to follow, she started to exit.

"See you in the morning," Lora whispered, giving Alonna a quick arm squeeze. Aurelia murmured something along the same lines, brushing away the stray strands of hair falling in Alonna's face; she was already falling asleep, exhausted.

* * *

"Aurelia."

"Yes?" Although given two rooms that connected into each other, Lora had requested Aurelia sleep on the extra bed in her room, which was presumably for Alonna when she was ready to be moved. Although she hated sharing rooms with anyone, she had complied without a word. She understood, and Lora was glad she hadn't teased her about not being able to sleep alone. Not tonight.

"Everything we said, in the healing area," Lora whispered hesitantly, staring at the high ceiling.

"The healing rooms, yes."

"All the scenarios on people even discovering we were gone were bad."

"So we'll find our own way back," Aurelia said firmly. "I get you guys lost all the time, and we somehow make it all the time," she said, trying to add humor back to Lora's usually cheerful state.

"Yeah," Lora agreed quietly. Aurelia was glad Lora didn't point out the flaws in her logic, which were so painfully obvious. Aurelia was doing a double major in English and History; she knew the logical fallacies she was feeding Lora. And Lora did too, but instead let the subject drop and a blanket of silence cover the room.

"What about the others?" Lora said in an even quieter tone.

"They'll be fine."

"Leya's not a fighter. Kit's not a fighter. Even us; we're some of the best in our subjects. You got a scholarship, I got a scholarship, and Alonna's been to Junior Olympics; we practically live in what we do. And we lost pathetically fast," Lora rushed out. "I saw Leya. She was being chased. All our scenarios about her calling for help? They were based on the assumption that she makes it back. Even Alonna kept saying 'if'; 'if' she made it back, 'if' she got away."

"They didn't die; she wouldn't die-"

"How do you know? And what if she did? What if? Then what do we do? Go back and pretend everything's normal?"

"You're her cousin. Practically her sister. I've known Kit forever. We're all practically sisters. I feel like we would know," Aurelia said, trying to hide the shaking. She had been trying to avoid that train of thought. "I don't think we can pretend anything is normal, even if- even though- they're still alive."

"And if." Lora didn't have to explain. From a few feet away, she heard Aurelia sigh.

"Either they don't feel anything, they only know happiness, started a different life, or are watching us from somewhere. They won't be anywhere but where the good things are."

A contemplative silence filled the room. Aurelia prayed silently that this would be the end; she didn't know how much more she could take. _"Please, whoever's listening. I can't do this; Alonna is the leader. Kit is the empathetic one. Even Leya's better suited for this than I am. I'm really bad with death, remember?"_

"You're right," Lora said quietly, but still with confidence.

"Aren't I always? But really, anytime," Aurelia said. "I'm not good at this, but I can try."

"And you still owe me answers. Explain the whole double voice thing," Lora said, changing the subject. "Don't roll your eyes at me; I can feel it even if I can't see your face."

"Well, I didn't think you were going to let me sleep much, anyways," Aurelia agreed resignedly. "I think something is helping us, in a really weird way. 'Something' being either the world, or some big guy up there taking pity on us. I know, don't laugh yet. But think about it. I realized when I woke up that we were hearing them talking, in the language of the people that live here, and our brains were hearing it and translating it at the same times, which is why you could kind of hear their voices saying something else in the background. And when we talk, it's almost the same, but a lot fainter. It trips. Even now, don't some of my words sound funny? I have to concentrate to speak English."

"But it doesn't work for all languages; when the elves were talking to each other, we couldn't understand. I think it's only the language that people use. But when I concentrate really hard, their language sounds really familiar anyways. Maybe I read it in some historical text and forgot about it. It explains how much more advanced our world is, technology wise," Aurelia finished.

"And here's another theory of mine that I like: when we get back, we could possibly land the instant we left. Or way later, or even before. I feel like Earth time and Middle Earth time aren't connected at all, because of Alonna's story. I wasn't sure until then, but even though Kit fell first, we haven't seen her yet. I actually came here before Alonna did, according to the elves that found us. On their way back, the found her and picked her up. And even if there were only seconds, minutes at most, between when we fell, it turned into a day."

"Yeah, but it could also mean there's an 'in between' state or world that we don't remember," added Lora contemplatively. "I like your theory better though. So this place is called Middle Earth, huh?"

"Well, the land is. The area is Rivendell. I'll show you the map they showed me tomorrow. Let's sleep now, so we can actually function tomorrow," Aurelia hinted, exhausted.

"Yeah."

"Thank you." A brief silence filled the room. Blankets rustled as Aurelia rolled over, trying to get comfortable.

"Aurelia?"

"God, let me sleep. Yes?"

"Just checking to see if you were still here. No, just kidding, don't throw the pillow," Lora said, seeing a shadow raise a fluffy projectile. "Seriously, thanks."

"I said it was nothing."

"I know, but you know it wasn't. It was something. Sorry about the whole breakdown thing. I was just, you know," she paused. "Scared," she whispered.

"Yeah. Me too. But you guys are here, at least. So it's better now," Aurelia murmured.

"Can we agree that this moment of weakness will never leave this room?"

"You don't tell anyone about what I said, I won't tell the mushy stuff you said."

"Deal."

The room finally achieved silence, only broken by the breathing of the two friends.

* * *

**A/N: Thoughts? I failed my "update every other day" policy, but this one was longer. Is it better to have shorter chapters, or longer chapters? And are the paragraph breaks too long?**

**Do I need a beta reader?**


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